Someone in your team has found an AI tool that can summarise a contract in seconds. Another wants it to sort documents, prepare notes or help answer internal questions.
The potential is interesting. But 'it saves time' is not enough to decide whether client information should go into it.
Before introducing an AI tool to legal or compliance work, ask six questions.
1. What are we actually asking AI to do?
'Use AI in our legal team' is too broad. 'Prepare a first-pass summary of a standard non-confidential document for human checking' is a specific use case. Define the task, the expected benefit and which decisions still require a person.
2. Which information would the tool receive?
Consider confidential client documents, personal data, financial details and internal commercial information. Can the same task be done using less information, a redacted sample or a different environment? Data minimisation should be part of the design, not something addressed after rollout.
3. What does the provider do with that information?
Ask where information is processed, who can access it, how long it is retained, whether it is used to train or improve a model and what contractual controls apply. Do not infer these answers from the product's marketing page. Review the actual terms and technical arrangements.
4. Who is authorised to use it?
A short, approved list of use cases and users is easier to manage than an informal 'everyone can experiment' approach. Define permissions, prohibited data categories and what to do when someone is unsure.
5. Who checks the output before anyone acts on it?
AI-generated text can sound convincing while being wrong or incomplete. Work involving legal judgement, regulatory advice or client reliance needs appropriate human review. Decide who is responsible, what they check and where the source material is available.
6. What happens if something goes wrong?
Consider accidental disclosure, incorrect output, prompt misuse or unexpected data processing. A team needs a way to report problems, stop a use case and involve the right people. Review arrangements as tools and uses change.
Start small, document the decision
A practical first step is to approve one narrow, lower-risk use case, agree its information boundaries and monitor whether it delivers a worthwhile benefit. Consider privacy impact assessment obligations where applicable, alongside confidentiality and sector-specific requirements.
The ICO's guidance on AI and data protection emphasises fair and transparent processing, data minimisation, governance, third-party arrangements and appropriate human oversight. Not every business or tool is subject to the same legal obligations, so a specialist assessment may be necessary.
Evolut can help clients frame the governance questions and identify where specialist legal, privacy or technical advice is needed; it does not present itself as the tool vendor or implementation team.
Further reading: original sources
This article offers general information and is not legal or regulatory advice. Requirements depend on your organisation and circumstances.